JP6590547B2 - Image processing apparatus, image processing method, program, and storage medium - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image selection technique when creating photobook data.

  For example, there is a photobook service in which photobook data in which images and characters taken with a digital camera or the like are arranged on a PC (personal computer) is created and printed by a printer, or a print order is made via a storefront terminal or the Internet.

  Conventionally, when creating photobook data on a PC, a technique has been proposed in which image arrangement areas are set in advance on a photobook layout, and images are selected from candidate images for each area and arranged. (Patent Document 1).

  In this proposal, a layout of a photo book is displayed at the center of the screen, an image arrangement area is designated, and an image is selected and arranged from a candidate image display area arranged at the left end of the screen. This makes it possible to select candidate images while confirming the layout, and to work while imagining the printed photobook. When selecting an image, there is a method of popping up a file selection dialog for candidate images by designating an image arrangement area.

JP 2013-33453 A

  In Patent Document 1, in order to secure a candidate image display area, the layout display of a photobook on a PC becomes small. For this reason, a candidate image cannot be selected while displaying the layout of the photobook on the entire screen. On the other hand, when the candidate image file selection dialog is displayed in a pop-up, the layout of the photo book is hidden behind the dialog screen while the candidate image is being selected, and thus the entire layout cannot be viewed. In either case, since it is necessary to select an image after designating an image arrangement region, it takes time to select an image.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an image processing technique capable of easily selecting an image while displaying the entire layout of the photobook and confirming the layout when selecting an image of the photobook. .

In order to achieve the above object, an image processing apparatus according to the present invention displays a plurality of image arrangement areas on a display unit, layout setting means for setting layout information including a plurality of image arrangement areas of a photobook, Image list display means for acquiring a plurality of candidate images for the plurality of image arrangement areas displayed on the display unit and displaying a list of the candidate images for each of the plurality of image arrangement areas; and Selected image setting means for setting an image selected by a user operation from the displayed list of candidate images in the image arrangement area and displaying the selected image in the image arrangement area, and the image selected image Distance information on the display screen of the display unit between the image of the arrangement area and the image arrangement area that has not been selected, and image information of the image arrangement area that has been selected A distance condition setting unit configured to set a distance condition of the candidate image to be displayed in the image arrangement region that is not selected from the image, and the image list display unit includes, among the acquired candidate images, A list of candidate images satisfying the distance condition is displayed in the image arrangement region where the images are not selected .

  According to the present invention, when selecting an image of a photobook, it is possible to easily select an image while displaying the entire layout of the photobook and confirming the layout.

1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a configuration example of an image processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the application program which performs the image selection process at the time of creating photobook data. It is a flowchart figure explaining the image selection process at the time of creating photobook data. It is a figure explaining the process of the image list display part in area | region in step S302 of FIG. 3, and the selection process of the image in step S303 of FIG. It is a figure explaining the procedure which selects an image from the image list in a field. It is a figure explaining the process of the intra-region selected image display part. It is a figure explaining the process of a non-region image list display part. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the application program which performs the image narrowing-down process at the time of creating photobook data in the image processing apparatus which is the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart figure explaining the image narrowing-down process using the similar condition setting part at the time of creating photobook data. It is a figure explaining the state where all the image arrangement | positioning area | regions are unselected in the image narrowing-down process by a similar condition setting part. It is a figure explaining the image selection of a 1st image arrangement | positioning area | region in the image narrowing-down process by a similar condition setting part. The figure explaining the process which completes image selection by the image selection dialog of FIG. 11, and selects the image displayed on a 2nd image arrangement area from the candidate image of the 2nd image arrangement area narrowed down by the similarity condition setting of the selected image It is. A process of selecting an image to be displayed in the third image arrangement area from the candidate images of the third image arrangement area, which has been selected by the image selection dialog in FIG. FIG. It is a figure which shows the state from which the image of all the image arrangement | positioning areas was selected. It is a flowchart figure explaining the image narrowing-down process using the distance condition setting part at the time of creating photobook data. It is a figure which shows the layout display screen of the photobook for 6 pages. It is a figure explaining the method in which a distance condition setting part sets the distance condition of each image arrangement | positioning area | region by using imaging | photography date and imaging location as distance conditions. FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining distance condition setting when an image unselected image arrangement area exists between two image selected image arrangement areas in the image processing apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure explaining distance condition setting in case an image unselected image arrangement region exists between two image selected image arrangement regions. It is a figure which shows the modification of the display method of the candidate image applicable to narrowing-down conditions. It is a figure which shows the modification of the display method of the candidate image applicable to narrowing-down conditions. It is a figure which shows the modification of the display method of the candidate image applicable to narrowing-down conditions.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing a configuration example of an image processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image processing apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a CPU 101, a RAM 102, a ROM 103, a NETIF 104, a VRAM 105, a KBC 107, an HDD 109, and a recording unit 110, and these elements are connected to each other via a bus 100. ing.

  The CPU 101 manages the calculation and control of the entire image processing apparatus. The RAM 102 is used as a main memory of the CPU 101 and as a work area and a data area for execution programs. The ROM 103 includes a program ROM 103a in which basic software (OS) is recorded, and a data ROM 103b in which information necessary for operating the system is recorded. Note that a recording medium 111 such as an HDD 109 or a memory card may be used instead of the ROM 103.

  The NETIF 104 is a network interface, and performs control for performing data transfer with an external device via the network and diagnoses the connection status. The VRAM 105 develops the operating state of the image processing apparatus and the photo book information to be displayed on the display 106 such as an LCD constituting the display unit, and controls the display.

  The KBC 107 is a controller for controlling an input signal from an external input device 108 such as a pointing device such as a keyboard or a mouse or a touch panel display. The HDD 109 is used for storing various data such as application programs and image data. The recording unit 110 reads / writes data from / to a recording medium 111 such as a CD-ROM or a memory card that is detachably mounted.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an application program that executes image selection processing when creating photobook data in the image processing apparatus of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the application program for executing the image selection process includes a processing module stored in the HDD 109 or the like and a photobook information storage unit 206. In the present embodiment, an example in which an application program for executing image selection processing is stored in the HDD 109 is illustrated. However, the application program may be stored in the ROM 103, the recording medium 111, or another storage unit.

  As illustrated in FIG. 2, the processing module includes a layout setting unit 201, an in-region image list display unit 202, a selected image setting unit 203, an in-region selected image display unit 204, and an out-of-region image list display unit 205. The photobook information storage unit 206 stores layout information and image files as photobook information.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining image selection processing when creating photobook data. Each process in FIG. 3 is executed by the CPU 101 after the application program shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 3, in step S <b> 301, the CPU 101 acquires layout information input on the screen by the user or existing layout information stored in the photobook information storage unit 206. Then, the CPU 101 sets the layout information of the photo book by the layout setting unit 201 based on the acquired layout information, and proceeds to step S302.

  In step S302, the CPU 101 obtains candidate image files from the photobook information storage unit 206 by using the in-region image list display unit 202, and displays a list of candidate images in each of a plurality of image arrangement regions defined in the layout information. The process proceeds to step S303. Details of the processing of the in-region image list display unit 202 will be described later with reference to FIG.

  In step S303, the CPU 101 uses the selected image setting unit 203 to set the image selected by the user from the candidate image list in the image arrangement area of the photo book, and save the updated layout information in the photo book information storage unit 206 for processing. Exit. The details of the process in which the user selects an image from the candidate image list will be described later with reference to FIGS. The intra-area selected image display unit 204 and the out-of-area image list display unit 205 will be described later with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, respectively.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the processing of the in-region image list display unit 202 in step S302 of FIG. 3 and the image selection processing in step S303 of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a first image arrangement area 402, a second image arrangement area 405, and a third image arrangement area 406 are arranged on the layout display screen 401 of the photobook spread on the display 106. The in-region image list display unit 202 displays a list of candidate images acquired from the photobook information storage unit 206 as an in-region image list in these image arrangement regions 402, 405, and 406. The images selected by the user from the list of images in each area are displayed in the plurality of image arrangement areas 402, 405, and 406.

  The user selects an image to be set in the image arrangement area of the photo book from the list of images in the area, and the selected image setting unit 203 sets the image selected by the user as the layout information of the photo book, and the updated layout information is the photo. Saved in the book information storage unit 206. When the user selects an image, the image is selected by a click operation using a mouse or a pointing device or a tap operation using a touch panel.

  If all candidate images acquired from the photobook information storage unit 206 cannot be displayed in the image placement areas 402, 405, and 406, a list of in-area images is displayed for all candidate images using a scroll display or page switching function. indicate. The layout display screen 401 also includes a character string display area 404, and the user can input a character string related to a photo book or an image using a keyboard or the like.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a procedure for selecting an image from the in-region image list. In the state of FIG. 5A, the first to third image arrangement areas 402, 405, and 406 of the layout display screen 401 in a spread page with a photo book are unselected images. Then, the user first selects an image from the in-area image list displayed in the first image arrangement area 402 using a mouse or the like, and when the image selection is completed, as shown in FIG. The selected image 403 is displayed in the image arrangement area 402.

  Similarly, when an image is selected from the list of images in the area displayed in the second image arrangement area 405 using a mouse or the like and the image selection is completed, as shown in FIG. 5C, the second image arrangement area 405 is displayed. The selected image 407 is displayed. Similarly, an image is selected from the image list in the area displayed in the third image arrangement area 406 using a mouse or the like, and when the image selection is completed, the image 408 selected in the third image arrangement area 406 (see FIG. 6). Is displayed. As described above, since the image of each image arrangement area can be set only by the image selection operation on the layout, the image can be selected without taking time and effort while checking the layout.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining processing of the in-region selected image display unit 204. As shown in FIG. 6, when the images in the in-region image list displayed in the first image arrangement region 402 have already been selected and image reselection is performed, the in-region selected image display unit 204 controls the CPU 101. Thus, the selected image 601 is fixedly displayed on the upper left of the first image arrangement area 402. In this state, even if the in-region image list is scrolled, the selected image 601 is displayed on the upper left of the first image arrangement region 402. Thereby, the user can select an unselected image while comparing with a selected image displayed in a format different from that of the unselected image.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining processing of the out-of-region image list display unit 205. As illustrated in FIG. 7, when the area of the second image arrangement area 405 of the layout display screen 401 is not sufficient, the out-of-area image list display unit 205 is placed outside the second image arrangement area 405 under the control of the CPU 101. The out-of-area image list 701 is displayed as a pop-up. For example, when three or more candidate images can be displayed in the second image arrangement area 405, the in-area image list is displayed in the second image arrangement area 405, and when only two or less candidate images can be displayed, A non-region image list 701 is displayed in a pop-up manner outside the two-image arrangement region 405.

  At this time, the out-of-area image list 701 is displayed on a page different from the second image arrangement area 405 that is currently selected. As a result, even if a part of the layout is hidden by the pop-up of the out-of-region image list 701, the layout of the page including the second image arrangement region 405 being selected can be confirmed. Further, the out-of-area image list 701 may be displayed in a pop-up display in an area that does not overlap the second image arrangement area 405 on the layout, for example, a character string display area or a margin area. Thereby, a candidate image can be selected while confirming all the images on the layout.

  As described above, in this embodiment, when selecting a photo book image, the entire layout of the photo book candidate images is displayed on the layout display screen 401 and the image can be easily selected while checking the layout. Can do.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, an image processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Note that portions that overlap or correspond to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings and symbols. The apparatus configuration of the image processing apparatus according to the present embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment (FIG. 1), and a description thereof will be omitted.

  In the present embodiment, a case where the candidate images to be displayed in the image arrangement area not selected by using the image information of the image arrangement area where the image has been selected is taken as an example.

  FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an application program that executes image narrowing processing when creating photobook data in the image processing apparatus of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, the application program for executing the image narrowing process includes a processing module stored in the HDD 109 or the like and a photobook information storage unit 206. In the present embodiment, the application program for executing the image narrowing process is illustrated as being stored in the HDD 109, but may be stored in the ROM 103, the recording medium 111, or other storage means.

  As illustrated in FIG. 8, the processing module includes a layout setting unit 201, a candidate image list display unit 802, a selected image setting unit 203, a similar condition setting unit 804, and a distance condition setting unit 805. The photobook information storage unit 206 stores layout information and image files as photobook information. In the present embodiment, whether to perform the image narrowing process using the similar condition setting unit 804 or the image narrowing process using the distance condition setting unit 805 is selected by a user operation on an operation unit (not shown). .

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the image narrowing-down process using the similar condition setting unit 804 when creating photobook data. Each process of FIG. 9 is executed by the CPU 101 after the application program shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 9, in step S <b> 901, the CPU 101 acquires layout information input on the screen by the user or existing layout information stored in the photobook information storage unit 206. Then, the CPU 101 sets photobook layout information by the layout setting unit 201 based on the acquired layout information, and the process advances to step S902.

  In step S902, the CPU 101 starts acquisition processing of a candidate image list from the photobook information storage unit 206 for all image arrangement regions included in the photobook layout information, and proceeds to step S903.

  First, in step S903, the CPU 101 uses the candidate image list display unit 802 to acquire image information of an image arrangement area in which an image has been selected from the photobook information storage unit 206, and the process proceeds to step S904. In step S904, the CPU 101 obtains a similar condition from the selected image information acquired in step S903 by using the similar condition setting unit 804, and proceeds to step S905.

  In step S905, the CPU 101 uses the candidate image list display unit 802 to acquire a list of candidate images for image arrangement based on the similarity condition obtained in step S904, and proceeds to step S906. In step S906, the CPU 101 determines whether a list of candidate images for all image arrangement areas has been acquired. If acquired, the process ends. If not, the process returns to step S902, and step S902 is performed. Repeat the process of step S906.

  Next, image narrowing processing by the similar condition setting unit 804 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a state in which no image is selected in all image arrangement areas in the image narrowing-down process by the similar condition setting unit 804. As shown in FIG. 10, the candidate image list display unit 802 includes a first image arrangement area 402, a second image arrangement area 405, and a third image arrangement area 406 on the two-page spread display screen 401 of the photobook. Each is displayed and is in an unselected state.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram for describing image selection in the first image arrangement area 402 in the image narrowing-down process by the similar condition setting unit 804. As shown in FIG. 11, when selecting an image in the first image arrangement area 402, the candidate image list display unit 802 displays an image selection dialog 1101 for the first image arrangement area 402.

  The image selection dialog 1101 displays a list of all candidate images to be arranged in the photo book, and the user selects an image to be arranged in the first image arrangement area 402 from the candidate image list using a mouse or the like. The selected image is set in the first image arrangement area 402 by the selected image setting unit 203, and the updated layout information is stored in the photobook information storage unit 206. Here, it is assumed that the user selects the image 1102 with the file name “Image_1002” in the image selection dialog 1101.

  FIG. 12 shows an image to be displayed in the second image arrangement area 405 from the candidate image of the second image arrangement area 405 that has been selected by the image selection dialog 1101 in FIG. It is a figure explaining the process which selects. Here, since the image 1102 with the file name “Image_1002” is selected from the image selection dialog 1101 in FIG. 11 as the image to be displayed in the first image arrangement area 402, the similarity condition setting unit 804 determines the similarity condition from the information of the image 1102. Set.

  The image 1102 of the file name “Image_1002” has the shooting date “April 8, 2013 9:45”, the shooting location “A town B park”, and the tag “3 years 1 set”. For this reason, the similar condition setting unit 804 sets the shooting date and time “April 8, 2013”, the shooting location “A town”, and the tag “three years and one set” as the similar conditions. The similarity condition set here is omitted in order to broaden the similarity condition for the time portion of the shooting date and time and the detailed portion of the shooting location. As a result, if the date of shooting date is the same or the same town as the shooting location, the similar condition is met.

  As shown in FIG. 12, when the image selection dialog 1201 of the second image arrangement area 405 is displayed under this similar condition, the candidate image list display unit 802 selects only images that meet the similar condition other than the selected image. Listed as images. Here, the selected image is excluded from the candidate images in the image selection dialog 1101 in FIG. 11, the shooting date and time as the similar conditions is “April 8, 2013”, the shooting location is “A town”, and the tag is “3 years”. Only candidate images satisfying “one set” are displayed in a list in the image selection dialog 1201.

  Here, it is assumed that the user selects the image 1202 having the file name “Image_1004” in the image selection dialog 1201. The selected image 1202 is set in the second image arrangement area 405 by the selected image setting unit 203, and the updated layout information is stored in the photobook information storage unit 206.

  13 completes image selection in the image selection dialog 1201 of FIG. 12, and from the candidate image of the third image arrangement area 406 narrowed down by the similar condition setting of the already selected images 1102 and 1202 to the third image arrangement area 406. It is a figure explaining the process which selects the image to display. Since the image 1202 having the file name “Image_1004” shown in FIG. 12 is selected as an image to be displayed in the second image arrangement area 405 subsequent to the first image arrangement area 402, the similarity condition setting unit 804 displays information on the image 1202 Set additional similar conditions from

  The image 1202 of the file name “Image_1004” has the shooting date “April 8, 2013 10:15”, the shooting location “A town C hotel”, and the tag “3 years 1 set A-kun”. . For this reason, as a similar condition, the shooting date and time is “April 8, 2013” and the shooting location is “A town”, but the tag is “A year” in addition to “3 years 1 set”. The similar condition setting unit 804 additionally sets this as a similar condition.

  As shown in FIG. 13, when the image selection dialog 1301 of the third image arrangement area 406 is displayed by the candidate image list display unit 802 under this similar condition, only images that satisfy the similar condition other than the selected image are candidate images. As a list. Here, the selected image is excluded from the candidate images in the image selection dialog 1101 in FIG. 11, the shooting date and time as the similar conditions is “April 8, 2013”, the shooting location is “A town”, and the tag is “3 years”. Only candidate images satisfying “1 set” and “A-kun” are displayed in a list in the image selection dialog 1301.

  Here, it is assumed that the user selects the image 1302 having the file name “Image_1006” in the image selection dialog 1301. The selected image 1302 is set in the third image arrangement area 406 by the selected image setting unit 203, and the updated layout information is stored in the photobook information storage unit 206.

  Thereby, the image selection is completed in all of the first to third image arrangement areas 402, 405, and 406 of the layout display screen 401, and the selected images are respectively displayed in the image arrangement areas 402 and 405 as shown in FIG. , 406.

  Next, an image narrowing process using the distance condition setting unit 805 when creating photobook data will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 15 is a flowchart for explaining image narrowing processing by the distance condition setting unit 805. Each process in FIG. 15 is executed by the CPU 101 after the application program shown in FIG. 8 stored in a storage unit such as the HDD 109 is expanded in the RAM 102.

  In FIG. 15, in step S <b> 1501, the CPU 101 acquires layout information input on the screen by the user or existing layout information stored in the photobook information storage unit 206. The CPU 101 sets the layout information of the photo book based on the acquired layout information by the layout setting unit 201, and the process advances to step S1502.

  In step S1502, the CPU 101 acquires the image information of the image arrangement area selected on the layout display screen from the photobook information storage unit 206, and the process advances to step S1503. The selected image information acquired here is used to obtain distance information on a layout display screen between image arrangement areas not selected from a page position described later. In step S1503, the CPU 101 starts a candidate image list acquisition process for all image arrangement regions included in the photobook layout information, and the process advances to step S1504.

  In step S1504, the CPU 101 uses the candidate image list display unit 802 to acquire image information of the selected image arrangement area that is closest to the page position of the corresponding image arrangement area, and the process advances to step S1505. In step S1505, the CPU 101 uses the distance condition setting unit 805 to obtain a distance condition from the selected image information acquired in step S1504 and the distance to the image unselected image placement area, and the process advances to step S1506.

  In step S1506, the CPU 101 causes the candidate image list display unit 802 to acquire a narrowed-down candidate image list of image unselected areas based on the distance condition obtained in step S804, and the process proceeds to step S1507. In step S <b> 1507, the CPU 101 determines whether a narrowing candidate image list of all image unselected image arrangement regions has been acquired. If the CPU 101 has acquired a list of candidate images for selection of all image unselected image arrangement areas, the CPU 101 ends the process. If not, the process returns to step S1503, and the processes of steps S1503 to S1507 are performed. repeat.

  Next, image narrowing processing by the distance condition setting unit 805 will be described with reference to FIGS. 16 and 17. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a photobook layout display screen for six pages.

  In FIG. 16, the layout display screen 1601 is for 1 page and 2 pages of spread, the layout display screen 1602 is for 3 pages and 4 pages of spread, and the layout display screen 1603 is 5 pages and 6 of spread. It is a page. On the layout display screen 1601, first to third image arrangement areas 1610 to 1612 are arranged. In addition, the fourth to seventh image arrangement areas 1613 to 1616 are arranged on the layout display screen 1602, and the eighth to eleventh image arrangement areas 1617 to 1620 are arranged on the layout display screen 1603.

  As shown in FIG. 16, a first image arrangement area 1610 in which a selected image is displayed is arranged on the display screen 1604 of the first page of the layout display screen 1601. On the display screen 1607 of the fourth page of the layout display screen 1602, a seventh image arrangement area 1616 in which the selected image is displayed is arranged. On the display screen 1609 of the sixth page of the layout display screen 1603, an eleventh image arrangement area 1620 in which the selected image is displayed is arranged.

  The other second to sixth image arrangement areas 1611 to 1615 and the eighth to tenth image arrangement areas 1617 to 1619 are in an unselected state. These image unselected image arrangement areas 1611 to 1615 and 1617 to 1619 are candidates for narrowing down based on the distance condition obtained from the image information and distance information of the selected image in the image arrangement areas 1610, 1616, and 1620 that have been selected. Get the image list.

  FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining a method in which the distance condition setting unit 805 sets the distance condition of each image arrangement area using the shooting date and time and the shooting location as distance conditions. The distance condition setting unit 805 is the distance to the selected image having the closest distance among the selected images in the image selected image arrangement areas 1610, 1616, and 1620 for the image arrangement areas 1611 to 1615 and 1617 to 1619 that have not been selected. Ask for. Then, the distance condition setting unit 805 acquires the image information (for example, the shooting date and time and the shooting location) of the selected image with the closest distance for the image unselected image arrangement regions 1611 to 1615 and 1617 to 1619, and sets the distance condition. Set.

  Here, as the distance condition of the shooting date and time, when the distance from the image arrangement area where the image is not selected to the selected image is 1 page or less, the date and time of the shooting date and time are the same. If it exceeds 1 page and is 1.5 pages or less, the shooting date and time is within one week, and if it exceeds 1.5 pages, the period condition is not set. However, when the selected image with the closest distance exists on the previous page, it is a condition that the shooting date and time is later than the shooting date and time of the selected image. On the other hand, when the closest selected image exists on the subsequent page, it is a condition that the shooting date is before the shooting date of the selected image.

  For example, since the distance from the second image arrangement area 1611 to the selected image in the first image arrangement area 1610 is one page, the shooting date and time condition is the same as that of the selected image in the first image arrangement area 1610, “2013. April 8th ". The third image arrangement area 1612 has a distance of 1.5 pages to the selected image in the first image arrangement area 1610, and the first image arrangement area 1610 is on the previous page than the third image arrangement area 1612. For this reason, the shooting date and time condition of the third image arrangement area 1612 is a range from “April 8, 2013” to “April 14, 2013” from one week after the selected image of the first image arrangement area 1610. It becomes.

  On the other hand, in the fourth image arrangement area 1613, the distance to the selected image of the nearest seventh image arrangement area 1616 is 1.5 pages, but the seventh image arrangement area 1616 is a page after the fourth image arrangement area 1613. It is in. For this reason, the shooting date and time conditions of the fourth image arrangement area 1613 are in the range from “October 4, 2013” to “October 10, 2013” one week before the selected image in the seventh image arrangement area 1616. It becomes.

  Similarly, if the distance to the selected image is 0.5 pages or less as a distance condition for the shooting location, the city, town name, and facility name of the shooting location are the same. In addition, if it exceeds 0.5 pages and is 1 page or less, it is a condition that only the city or town name matches as the distance condition of the shooting location, and if it exceeds 1 page, do not set the condition. To do.

  For example, the distance from the sixth image arrangement area 1615 to the selected image in the seventh image arrangement area 1616 is 0.5 pages. Therefore, the conditions for the shooting location in the sixth image arrangement area 1615 must be the same as the selected image in the seventh image arrangement area 1616, and the city, town name, and facility name must match, and “A city B school” is the condition. .

  In addition, since the fifth image arrangement area 1614 has a distance of one page to the selected image in the seventh image arrangement area 1616, the shooting location condition matches only the city and town name of the selected image in the seventh image arrangement area 1616. “A city” is a condition. Furthermore, since the distance from the fourth image arrangement area 1613 to the selected image in the seventh image arrangement area 1616 is 1.5 pages, the conditions for the shooting location are not set.

  If the closest selected images are in the seventh image arrangement area 1616 and the eleventh image arrangement area 1620 as in the ninth image arrangement area 1618 and both are equal in one page, the eleventh image arrangement in the same spread page The selected image in area 1620 is adopted. Further, when there is no selected image on the same spread page and the distance to the closest selected image is equal, the selected image in the image arrangement area existing on the previous page than the corresponding image arrangement area is adopted.

  In this way, the shooting date and time and shooting location conditions are set as the distance conditions for each image arrangement area that has not been selected, and the candidates to be set in the image arrangement area are the same as in the image narrowing process using the similar condition setting described above. Apply a distance condition to the image to narrow it down. Then, the user selects an image from the narrowed candidate images and sets an image in the image arrangement area. Thereby, when creating a photo book, an image can be selected from the narrowed-down candidate images, and the labor for selecting an image can be reduced. Other configurations and operational effects are the same as those in the first embodiment.

(Third embodiment)
Next, an image processing apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Note that portions that overlap or correspond to the first and second embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings and symbols.

  In the present embodiment, distance condition setting when an image unselected image arrangement area exists between two image selected image arrangement areas is taken as an example.

  FIG. 18 is a flowchart for explaining the distance condition setting in the case where there is an image unselected image placement area between two image selected image placement areas. Each process of FIG. 18 is executed by the CPU 101 after the application program shown in FIG. 8 stored in the storage unit such as the HDD 109 is expanded in the RAM 102.

  In FIG. 18, in step S <b> 1801, the CPU 101 acquires layout information input on the screen by the user or existing layout information stored in the photobook information storage unit 206. Then, the CPU 101 sets the photobook layout information based on the acquired layout information by the layout setting unit 201, and the process advances to step S1802.

  In step S1802, the CPU 101 acquires the image information of the image arrangement area where the image has been selected from the photobook information storage unit 206, and the process proceeds to step S1803. The image information acquired here is used to obtain distance information on a layout display screen between image arrangement areas not selected from a page position described later.

  In step S1803, the CPU 101 starts acquisition processing of a candidate image list to be narrowed down for all image arrangement areas except for the image arrangement area for which an image has already been selected, and proceeds to step S1804. In step S <b> 1804, the CPU 101 causes the candidate image list display unit 802 to display image information of two image selection areas that have been selected with no image selection area in between, two selection images, and an image that has not been selected. The distance to the arrangement area is acquired, and the process proceeds to step S1805.

  In step S1805, the CPU 101 uses the distance condition setting unit 805 to obtain a distance condition from the distance between the two selected images acquired in step S1804 and the unselected image arrangement area, and the process advances to step S1806. In step S1806, the CPU 101 uses the candidate image list display unit 802 to acquire a narrowed-down candidate image list for the image unselected image arrangement area based on the distance condition obtained in step S1805, and the process proceeds to step S1807.

  In step S1807, the CPU 101 determines whether a list of candidate images for narrowing down all image unselected image arrangement areas has been acquired. If the CPU 101 has acquired a list of candidate images for narrowing down all image unselected image arrangement areas, the CPU 101 ends the process. If not, the process returns to step S1803, and the processes of steps S1803 to S1807 are performed. repeat.

  FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating distance condition setting when there is an image arrangement area that has not been selected between two image arrangement areas that have been selected. FIG. 19 corresponds to the 6-page photobook layout display screen shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 16, when there are image arrangement areas 1610, 1616, and 1620 that have already been selected, the image arrangement areas 1611 to 1615 that are not selected exist between the selected images in the image arrangement areas 1610 and 1616. To do. In addition, image arrangement regions 1617 to 1619 that have not been selected exist between the selected images in the image arrangement regions 1616 and 1620.

  Here, the candidate image list display unit 802 obtains the distance to the selected image having the closest distance between the previous page and the subsequent page of the image placement area where no image is selected. Then, the distance condition setting unit 805 determines the distance condition based on the relationship between the image information (here, shooting date and time, shooting conditions) of the two selected images before and after the selected image placement area and the distance between the two selected images. Set.

  Here, the distance condition of the shooting date / time is always within the range of the shooting date / time of the selected image on the subsequent page from the shooting date / time of the selected image on the previous page, relative to the image arrangement area where the image is not selected. It must be a condition. If the distance from the unselected image layout area to the selected image is 1 page or less, the date and time of the shooting date and time must be the same, and if it exceeds 1 page and is 1.5 pages or less Is an additional condition within one week from the shooting date.

  However, when the difference between the distance from the image unselected image layout area to the selected image on the previous page and the selected image on the subsequent page is 0.5 page or less, the distance is very close to both images. For this reason, the additional condition is not applied, and within the range of the shooting date and time of the selected image on the subsequent page from the shooting date and time of the selected image on the previous page with respect to the image arrangement area where the image is not selected. On the condition.

  For example, the distance from the second image arrangement area 1611 to the selected image in the first image arrangement area 1610 on the previous page is one page, and the distance to the selection image in the seventh image arrangement area 1616 on the subsequent page is 2. .5 pages. For this reason, the shooting date / time condition of the second image arrangement area 1611 is the shooting date / time of the selected image in the first image arrangement area 1610 which is a distance of one page, and “April 8, 2013” is adopted. It becomes.

  In the third image arrangement area 1612, the distance to the selected image in the first image arrangement area 1610 on the previous page is 1.5 pages, and the distance to the selected image in the seventh image arrangement area 1616 on the subsequent page is two pages. The difference in distance between the previous page and the rear page is within 0.5 pages. For this reason, the condition of the shooting date / time of the third image arrangement area 1612 is that the selected image of the seventh image arrangement area 1616 from the date “April 8, 2013” of the shooting date / time of the selection image of the first image arrangement area 1610. The date and time of the date and time of “October 10, 2013”.

  Similarly, in the ninth image arrangement area 1618, the distance to the selected image in the seventh image arrangement area 1616 on the previous page is one page, and the distance to the selection image in the eleventh image arrangement area 1620 on the subsequent page is also one page. However, the difference in the distance between the front and rear pages is 0 page and within 0.5 pages. For this reason, the condition of the shooting date and time of the ninth image arrangement area 1618 is that the selected image of the eleventh image arrangement area 1620 from the date “October 10, 2013” of the shooting date and time of the selection image of the seventh image arrangement area 1616. The date and time of the shooting date and time “November 10, 2013”.

  Since the distance condition of the shooting location is not a continuous value, it is not desirable to set the range between the shooting locations of the two selected images. For this reason, as in FIG. 17, the shooting location of the selected image that is the closest to the unselected image arrangement region is used as a condition. For example, if the distance from the image unselected image placement area to the selected image is 0.5 pages or less, it is a condition that the city, town name, and facility name of the shooting location match. Also, if the distance from the unselected image placement area to the selected image is more than 0.5 page and less than 1 page, if the city or town name only matches, if it exceeds 1 page The condition is not set.

  However, if there is no difference in the distance from the image unselected image arrangement area to the selected image on the previous and next pages, it is assumed that either of the shooting locations is satisfied. For example, in the ninth image arrangement area 1618, the distance to the selected image in the seventh image arrangement area 1616 on the previous page is equal to one page, and the distance to the selected image in the eleventh image arrangement area 1620 on the subsequent page is also equal to one page. Therefore, since it corresponds to the case of 1 page or less exceeding 0.5 pages, it is a condition that it matches either “A city” or “D town”.

  As described above, the shooting date and time and shooting location conditions are set as distance conditions for each image unselected image placement area, and the image unselected image placement area is set in the same manner as the image narrowing-down process using the above-described distance condition setting. Apply the distance condition to the candidate images set to. Then, the user selects an image from the narrowed candidate images and sets an image in the image arrangement area. Thereby, when creating a photo book, an image can be selected from the narrowed-down candidate images, and the labor for selecting an image can be reduced. Other configurations and operational effects are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to what was illustrated by said each embodiment, In the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention, it can change suitably.

  For example, in the second and third embodiments, the candidate image list displayed at the time of image selection of the image arrangement area displays only images that meet the narrowing conditions, but candidate images that meet the narrowing conditions. The list may be displayed at the top and the candidate image list not applicable may be displayed at the bottom. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 20, in the case of an image arrangement area in which the shooting date condition is “April 8, 2013” to “October 10, 2013” and the shooting location condition is “A city”, the candidate image list Since “Image_0001” and “Image_0005” satisfy these conditions, they are displayed at the top. On the other hand, “Image0019”, “Image_0051”, and “Image0210” do not correspond to these conditions, and are therefore displayed lower than the corresponding image.

  As shown in FIG. 21, when the candidate image list shown in FIG. 20 is displayed as the image selection dialog 2101, the candidate image 2102 corresponding to the narrowing condition is displayed at the top of the screen, and the candidate image 2104 not corresponding to the narrowing condition is displayed. Is displayed below the boundary line 2103. This distinction display not only facilitates the selection of candidate images that meet the narrowing conditions, but also allows selection from the bottom of the screen even if you want to select candidate images that do not meet the narrowing conditions. It becomes possible.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 22, when the candidate image list shown in FIG. 20 is displayed as the image selection dialog 2201, the image of the candidate image 2202 corresponding to the narrowing-down condition is displayed with a large emphasis. On the other hand, the candidate image 2203 that does not meet the narrowing-down condition is displayed smaller than the candidate image 2202. This distinction display not only facilitates the selection of candidate images that meet the narrowing conditions, but also allows selection from the bottom of the screen even if you want to select candidate images that do not meet the narrowing conditions. It becomes possible. Here, among the images that have been rearranged, the images corresponding to the narrowing-down conditions are highlighted, but they may be displayed in the same order without being rearranged.

  The present invention can also be realized by executing the following processing. That is, the present invention supplies a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or apparatus read the program. It can also be realized by processing to be executed. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

101 CPU
102 RAM
106 Display 109 HDD
201 Layout Setting Unit 202 Intra-Region Image List Display Unit 203 Selected Image Setting Unit 204 In-Region Selected Image Display Unit 205 Out-Region Image List Display Unit 206 Photobook Information Storage Unit

Claims (9)

Layout setting means for setting layout information including a plurality of image arrangement areas of the photo book;
The plurality of image arrangement areas are displayed on a display unit, a plurality of candidate images for the plurality of image arrangement areas displayed on the display unit are acquired, and the list of candidate images for each of the plurality of image arrangement areas is obtained. Image list display means for displaying
A selection image setting means for setting an image selected by a user operation from the list of candidate images displayed in the image arrangement area in the image arrangement area and displaying the selected image in the image arrangement area;
Based on the distance information on the display screen of the display unit between the image placement area image that has been selected and the image placement area that has not been selected, and the image information of the image placement area that has been selected. A distance condition setting means for setting a distance condition of the candidate image to be displayed in the image unselected area of the image ,
The image list display means displays a list of candidate images satisfying the distance condition among the acquired candidate images in the image arrangement area where the image is not selected . The image list display means, according to claim 1, characterized in that in distinction from the list of candidate images that do not satisfy the distance condition and a list of said distance satisfying candidate image displayed on the image placement area of the image unselected An image processing apparatus according to 1. 3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image information of the image arrangement area in which the image has been selected is a shooting date and a shooting location. Among the list of the said candidate image displayed in the image arrangement region, one of the claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it comprises a selected image display means for displaying in different selected image and unselected image format the image processing apparatus according to an item or. According to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it comprises an area outside the image list display means for displaying in a region that does not overlap with the outer by the image layout area of the image layout area a list of the candidate images Image processing apparatus. The image processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the out-of-region image list display unit displays the list of candidate images on a page different from the image arrangement region during image selection. A layout setting step for setting layout information including a plurality of image arrangement areas of the photo book;
The plurality of image arrangement areas are displayed on a display unit, a plurality of candidate images for the plurality of image arrangement areas displayed on the display unit are acquired, and the list of candidate images for each of the plurality of image arrangement areas is obtained. Image list display step for displaying,
A selection image setting step of setting an image selected by a user operation from the list of candidate images displayed in the image arrangement area as the image arrangement area and displaying the selected image in the image arrangement area;
Based on the distance information on the display screen of the display unit between the image placement area image that has been selected and the image placement area that has not been selected, and the image information of the image placement area that has been selected. A distance condition setting step for setting a distance condition of the candidate image to be displayed in the image arrangement area that has not been selected.
In the image list display step, a list of candidate images satisfying the distance condition among the acquired plurality of candidate images is displayed in the image arrangement area where the image is not selected . A program for causing a computer to execute each step of the image processing method according to claim 7 . A computer-readable storage medium storing the program according to claim 8 .